Sustainable Development Internships in Ecuador

GoEco offers a range of enriching volunteer programs abroad, specifically designed for teenagers aged 15-17. These adventures provide a perfect blend of meaningful volunteer experiences, cultural immersion, and exciting local explorations. With a higher level of supervision, these programs are ideal for teens interested in animal welfare, conservation, or humanitarian aid. Destinations include Costa Rica, Bali, Thailand, Kenya, and Ecuador, each offering unique opportunities to contribute to local communities and ecosystems while gaining invaluable life experiences. Teen Programs and Destinations Costa Rica: Educational projects, cultural immersion, and recreational activities in a picturesque setting. Bali: Marine conservation with a focus on rehabilitating and protecting sea turtles. Thailand: Humanitarian projects combined with cultural adventures for a comprehensive experience. Kenya: Engage in climate change initiatives, wildlife conservation, and community projects. Ecuador: Work at an Amazon wildlife center, caring for various animals and supporting conservation efforts.

Join this hands-on internship and help low-income Indigenous communities revive ancestral building techniques to create sustainable housing for all. THE CHALLENGE Before the construction of industrialization, Andean communities built with rich clay soils. Globalization shifted practices to single-skin concrete buildings—faster and “modern,” but colder, costlier, less ecological, and more earthquake-prone. Hundreds of adobe homes now lie in ruin, and as these traditional methods vanish, so does their cultural and architectural heritage. THE SOLUTION We’re helping restore these buildings to preserve heritage and provide future benefits, from dignified homes to income through tourism. With support from our experienced team, join a design or build project to learn how adobe houses are made in the Andes and help restore those that might otherwise collapse. OUR METHODOLOGY Our internships use Design Thinking to co-create solutions with local partners. You’ll learn to observe, ideate, and prototype in real contexts, building skills while driving sustainable change. On weekends—or before and after your stay—you can explore Ecuador, from the Amazon to the Galápagos.

Travel to the island that inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and do more than explore. Help support sea turtle conservation! As a sea turtle nest monitor, you'll walk the 2-km stretch of coastline on beautiful Isabela Island, collecting data for the Galapagos National Park to support the management plan of the local beach. Join a team collecting data on the nesting patterns of the Green Sea Turtle, the species nesting in Isabela. Some of your responsibilities will include the following: - Observing and taking data on nest sizes - Determining nesting patterns of the Green Sea Turtle, the turtle species nesting on Isabela beaches, and marking laid nests. - Removing rubbish and debris to keep the beach clear. - Dedicating 3 hours weekly to removing "kikuyu" (grass) from the turtle nesting area, an invasive plant growing along the beach, thus blocking turtle nesting. - Measuring erosion to compare changes in the beach profile over time. The work schedule is from 6 am to 8 am and between 8 pm and 1 am (the night walk will vary depending on high tide when you are in Isabela).

At Roots, we believe valuable learning and making an impact can go hand-in-hand. That's why we offer academic internships with grassroots organizations around the world. As an intern, you'll have a unique work experience that will inspire you, enhance your career, and allow you to gain insight into grassroots development work. At the same time, you'll contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Join an internship that truly matters for you and the world! The focus areas of our internships are wide-ranging: from female empowerment and early childhood development to wildlife conservation and food security. No matter your degree or career focus, we'll be able to find you an internship that matches your interests and requirements. Our internships are based across Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia with year-round remote, in-person, and hybrid placements. What we'll offer you: - Careful matchmaking - Assistance with traveling (visas, flights, accommodation, etc.) - Supervision during your placement - Regular check-ins and troubleshooting - Career-driven opportunity Get in touch for a free internship consultation!

Ecuador is a great place to conduct a Spanish-speaking internship. One of our students traveled to the headwaters of the Amazon to work with a wildlife conservation organization. She helped treat injured wildlife and released animals back into the wild. Eco-tourism is another popular internship option. The country has some top-notch eco-lodges and tour companies. Go on tours and blog about your experiences on their websites. And then help the staff market the trips to local hotels and businesses. Our students enjoy excursions to Mindo, the birdwatching capital of the country, and to the Galapagos Islands where they can witness Darwin’s finches and turtles.

IES Abroad offers 140+ programs in more than 35 locations worldwide for undergraduate students. We're a little obsessed with study abroad, and not at all ashamed to admit it. We are a highly-charged force of study abroad enthusiasts. Every day we have the privilege of witnessing how study abroad changes our students' lives. That's the reason we do what we do: to provide once-in-a-lifetime educational adventures. Everything we do is about the IES Abroad student. Our goal is to provide personal support and guidance throughout your application and enrollment process. Whether it's housing or cultural events or field trips, our job is to make sure you have the most authentic study abroad experience possible. Study with us for a summer, semester, or year. No matter the term, our world-class faculty and courses will engage you as you discover new ways of learning both inside and outside the classroom. How will study abroad redefine you? We can't wait to find out.

This internship placement is based on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos, where a community conservation and advocacy project comes together with an eco-lodge and organic farm to protect the island’s precious biodiversity. This blended community initiative and social enterprise draws on social action, ethical ecotourism, and conservation tactics to demonstrate how tourism in a high-traffic destination can be done respectfully. As an intern, you’ll live with a local host family and participate in a variety of activities between the advocacy group, the eco-tourism lodge, and the regenerative farm. Such activities might include harvesting organic fruits and vegetables or maintaining native plant gardens used to attract tortoises. You may assist with marketing and sustainability documentation for the eco-lodge, prepare materials for youth workshops, or participate in communal beach clean-ups with the advocacy group. You’ll become part of a movement that explores how advocacy, hospitality, and communities that come together can support biodiversity, empower local people, and finance innovative conservation efforts.

The Fair Trade Internship in the Mindo Cloud Forest is a unique combination of sustainable development and cultural/heritage preservation. You work with indigenous families who cultivate cocoa using traditional techniques while paying respect to environmental conditions. Intern activities generally fall within various business aspects, including marketing and customer service. The placement is with a women’s association that runs training programs for farmers. They ensure that products, such as pure and flavored chocolate, are put on the market for a fair price. This way, the local community is able to generate sustainable income. This internship is geared toward undergraduate and graduate students, and industry professionals. Your focus should be on entrepreneurship, international development, business, food engineering, tourism, or a related field. Team working skills and flexibility are required as well as a reasonable level of fitness. Proficiency in Spanish (level A2 User of CEFR) is required since you’re working alongside local people. Please bring a laptop to record your progress during the program.

At International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ), we unite people from over 96 countries who want to make a meaningful difference while exploring the world. With 300+ projects in 40+ destinations, IVHQ offers the widest selection of volunteer programs globally from Teaching and Childcare to Wildlife Conservation, Medical Outreach, and Environmental Sustainability. Since 2007, IVHQ has supported over 155,000 volunteers on life-changing journeys. We specialize in fully-hosted volunteer trips that are safe, affordable, and accessible—starting from just $20 per day. Your experience includes airport pick-up, accommodation, meals, and round-the-clock support from our local teams. With flexible booking options and no change fees, planning your volunteer adventure has never been easier. Our programs run year-round and are available for 1 to 24 weeks across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific, South and Central America, North America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Volunteering with IVHQ is about more than giving back; it’s about growing, learning, and building genuine global connections.

Learn from and in the Amazon Rainforest—all while helping conserve and teach about sustainability! Join Manna Project International in this opportunity to preserve and grow sustainability and ecotourism in indigenous Kichwa communities in Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest. As an intern, you'll collaborate with local tourism entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, maintain and build trails, learn about local flora and fauna, conduct needs assessments, and develop educational materials for youth with the long-term goal of protecting and preserving the Amazon. This immersive experience enhances your language skills, builds your resume, and develops valuable project management and cross-cultural communication skills. Throughout the internship, you'll gain hands-on experience, make a real impact, and broaden your global perspective in a stunning environment. Example tasks: Collaborate with a Kichwa community to design and implement sustainability projects Conduct needs assessments Develop educational materials and conduct workshops Assist and support local farms, educational projects, trails, and beekeeping Assist in monitoring and evaluating ongoing programs

ELEP is an experiential learning and training programs provider specializing in high-quality, customized international internships. We also offer rewarding and meaningful volunteer experiences, as well as intensive language courses, to study, learn, or improve your Spanish language skills in Ecuador. Our programs are open to students, recent graduates, and young professionals from around the world. ELEP Volunteer & Internship Programs collaborates with Career Services Centers of international universities to help students with their career goals through training across a well-organized internship or volunteer program. We offer numerous internship placements, covering almost every field of study. Additionally, our team continually seeks new internship opportunities that align with the interests and needs of our participants. Internship lengths vary depending on the field and placement, ranging from a minimum of 4 weeks to a maximum of 24 weeks.